Nanaimo man, 39, arrested after axe attack at mall lot

Nanaimo RCMP have arrested a man in connection with an attack involving an axe Saturday evening in the parking lot of Port Place Shopping Centre in downtown Nanaimo.

Around 5 p.m., police received a report that two men were having a disagreement and one man took an axe and struck the other man in the back of the head.

The attacker fled the scene with the axe. Officers arrested a 39-year-old man early Monday. He is expected to face a charge of assault with a weapon.

The victim remains in hospital in Nanaimo.

RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien said the two, who are both unhoused, know each other.

“We don’t know why they were arguing. But it’s vicious, just terrible.”